Table of Contents

by Ronald W. Hull

Buy the paperback by ordering it from your local bookstore (preferred and less expensive) or from one of several online sources, including Booklocker.com.

Alone? is a historical, science fiction novel of sweeping proportions.  What if the most intelligent people that ever lived were shaped by evolution in the Neolithic Age?  What if the pharoahs of ancient Egypt could be brought back to life as clones?  What if the only known extraterrestrials are humans leaving Earth?  Alone? explores these questions as the Repaul family is thrust into 21st Century events of world changing proportions.  Be prepared to rethink humankind's dominence of the Earth and our very existence in the larger scheme of the Universe.

Chapter 1:      Nila's Story   Ötzi Valley: 3372 BC

Nila finds herself alone, an orphan at a very young age.  Not much older, she is kidnapped.  Her life is shaped by her kidnappers.  As the wife of Tsun, she prevails.  Still, she dies young, alone.

         Chapter 2:     Seti II, Pharaoh of Egypt    The Palace at Avaris:  1200 B.C.

Seti is Pharaoh, but he is alone.  He allies with his young wife, Taousret, and almost changes the course of history.  But for all his efforts to be immortal, in the end, he dies, alone.
 

Albert is retired.  He has realized his dream of returning his little corner of the world to the wild and some recognition as a DNA researcher.  But, he feels alone, unfulfilled.
 

 Chapter 4:     A New Start    The Iron Range, Upper Michigan:  2008

Albert attends a required conference and finds more than a new way to open the rangelands.  Wolves are his passion.  But he forgot an old one until it is suddenly rekindled.
 

 Chapter 5:     Filling the Empty Nest    The New Wilderness, Upper Michigan:  Spring 2016

Dr. Khundi comes up with an offer that Anne and Albert can't resist.  Cloning takes on a new character when entrusted to them.
 

 Chapter 6:    The Immortal    The New Wilderness, Upper Michigan:  Winter 2016

 The success with cloning Dominic leads Albert to dream of other things.  Perfecting the clone of the Pharaoh Seti II leads to a great discovery.
 

 Chapter 7:     The Grave Robber    Johns Hopkins Biotech Site, Maryland Mountains:  April 2017

President James declares war on the malaise affecting humankind and the Earth.  Albert embarks on a journey back through time to retrieve an emotional piece of him that has been lost.
 

 Chapter 8:     Hope from on High    Central Valles Marineris, Mars:  July 4, 2017, 9:07 EDT

 Scott Murphy, commander of the thirty-five member crew of Hope, lands on Mars a year ahead of schedule.  His triumph is marred by tragedy.
 

 Chapter 9:     Extended Family    The New Wilderness:  Late November 2017

 Albert, with resources and an understanding wife, finds himself the head of a revolutionary new form of family for the twenty-first century.
 

 Chapter 10:     Growing Up Wild    The New Wilderness:  2018

 Growing up immortal is not without its pitfalls.  New rules for life become the rule.
 

 Chapter 11:     Branching Out    The New Wilderness: Early Summer 2031

 Seti gets a new start on life.  Dom goes to college and the others follow—in different directions.
 

 Chapter 12:     Birth of The Collective    Esalen Institute, CA: 2042

 The clones complete their educations and become famous in the process.  Seti, sensing that his destiny is greater and linked to the stars, creates The Collective.
 

 Chapter 13:     Death of an Immortal    Esalen Waters, CA: September 13, 2044

 Seti embarks on a mission to save the Earth.  He establishes the Interplanetary Fund and launches the SETI II Project.  En route to deploy the Sagan Array, he meets his maker.
 

 Chapter 14:     An Icy Death    On Red Storm, The Asteroid Belt: 2047 A. D.

 Dom's ship reaches Ganymede and begins to explore.  That far from the sun, it is cold.  Without heat, one faces an icy death.
 

 Chapter 15:     The Iceman Returns    Biotech Center:  February 23, 2054

 Cloning is not the only way to bring the Iceman back.  However, cloning does bring back more than imagined.
 

 Chapter 16:     Death of a Scientist    The Montana Ranch: July 6, 2064

 Leading a good life and taking advantage of twenty-first century medicine cannot defeat the human lifespan.  In time, even heroes die.
 

 Chapter 17:     Disaster, Life on the Edge    Charmed One at Saturn's Rings:  January 6, 2067

 The Earth is geologically young.  Its periodic upheavals have no respect for the parasitic life clinging to its surface.  Life can vanish in a geologic instant.
 

 Chapter 18:     New Earth Colony    In Earth’s Orbit of the Sun: January 1, 2101

 Dom's dream of a sustainable space colony comes true.  Earth's survivors see it as a way to grow without hurting their home's fragile ecosystem.
 

 Chapter 19:     Reunion    Galactic Explorer Near Earth:  2159

 With growth and technology, wondrous things are possible.  There is more than one way to achieve immortality.
 

 Chapter 20:     A Promising Planet    The Galactic Explorer in the Milky Way:  2273 A.D.

 There is a promising planet.  Until a better one is found, the Galactic Explorer will set a course for this one.  If there is life, it may need relief.
 

Note to the reader.  If you liked this chapter you can buy it in paperback from Booklocker.com or Barnes & Noble, and other online stores.  Or, if you want to publish a review or have a way for me to get the word out about the story send an email to me with your suggestions. I might be persuaded to send you a free copy.  RWH